City Council OKs sale of historic DuPre House

City Council unanimously approved selling one of the most historic homes in Spartanburg to the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine for $1.

By Lynne P. Shacklefordlynne.shackleford@shj.com

City Council unanimously approved selling one of the most historic homes in Spartanburg to the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine for $1. In exchange, the college will renovate the exterior of the DuPre House — keeping the significant architectural features to the Queen Anne-style home built in the late 1880s. Wallace Dupre Jr., the great-grandson of Bishop William Wallace Duncan, said he was extremely pleased with the outcome that will solidify the ownership of the home.Duncan — also a professor at Wofford College — built the home after he was elected bishop in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, according to the application submitted to have the house placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The house ultimately was placed on the register. Wallace Dupre Jr. and several of his cousins retained ownership of the home after Wallace Duncan Dupre Sr. died in 1975. They sold the house and the property where it was situated on North Church Street to Renaissance Park Inc. in 1998 — an agreement to which the city was a party — and it was relocated to its location on Howard Street. The city stabilized the foundation, but would have performed additional work on the roof and replaced windows in the next couple of months if a permanent owner had not been located. "This is good news," Dupre said. "We've wanted all along to find a good solution — to see that it's well taken care of."Assistant City Manager Chris Story told council that the new ownership is another step forward toward securing one of Spartanburg's landmark properties and to ensure that it is properly maintained and remains a part of the city's future. Timothy Kowalski, vice dean of the college, said work will begin immediately to rehabilitate the exterior of the home. There are no restrictions on renovations on the interior of the home mentioned in the three-party agreement with the city, the Spartanburg Development Corp. — a nonprofit arm of the city which owns the house — and the college. The college hasn't determined how it will utilize the house, Kowalski said. "We understand that (the house) needs a lot of attention right now, and we'll move as quickly as we are able based on our budget and building cycle," he said, responding to a question from Councilwoman Cate Ryba on a timetable for interior renovations. Council also approved awarding a contract to Greenville-based Triangle Construction to replace sidewalks, curbs and gutters, decorative pedestrian lighting, street tree planting and decorative crosswalks at the intersection of College and Howard streets and along the perimeter of the college campus. Federal neighborhood initiative grants will finance the $220,767 project. Engineering Manager Tim Carter said these improvements also will improve pedestrian safety from the north side of the city into downtown.